Ocean of Music, Volume 1

On the banks of the Tungabhadrā river, there is the city called Vidyānagarī (also known as Vijayanagar)¹ where there ruled the king Devarāya, son of Vijaya of the Yadava dynasty.² Devarāya's son was Immadi Devarāya.³ Kallinātha lived there at that time.⁴ His grandfather was Vallabhadeva,⁵ his mother was Nārāyaṇī,⁶ and his father was Laksmīdhara.⁷ He belonged to the Śāṇḍilya Gotra A lineage or clan tracing descent from the sage Śāṇḍilya.⁸ Under the orders of the king, he wrote a commentary on the Saṅgītaratnākara The "Ocean of Music," a definitive 13th-century Sanskrit treatise on Indian music and dance.⁹

Vijaya I, mentioned by Kallinātha, reigned from 1418 to 1423; his son Devarāya II reigned from 1423 to 1446.¹⁰ Immadi Devarāya reigned from 1446 to 1465. Thus, Kallinātha must have lived in the second half of the fifteenth century.

¹ original: "पुरीह विद्यानगरी चकास्ति तुङ्गतङ्गैिरभित पवित्रा" "In this place shines the city of Vidyānagarī, purified on all sides by the high waves [of the river]." — verse 6
² original: "एता शास्ति प्रौढ श्रीदेवरायो विजयनृपसुतो यादवाना वरेण्य" "The great King Devarāya, son of King Vijaya and eminent among the Yadavas, rules this [city]." — verse 7
³ original: "तस्यास्ति पुत्र . इम्मिडिदेवराय" "He has a son... Immadi Devarāya." — verse 8
⁴ original: "सुधर्मैव सभा यस्य" "Whose assembly is like the assembly of the gods," — verse 9 and original: "तस्यामस्ति कल्लिनाथार्यवर्य" "In that [assembly] is the eminent Kallinātha." — verse 10
⁵ original: "वल्लभेश्वरदेवो हि यस्य साक्षात् पितामहः" "Vallabheshvaradeva was indeed his paternal grandfather." — verse 11. The Anandasrama edition A well-known series of printed Sanskrit texts reads the name as Tuttuleshvaradeva.
⁶ original: "माता नारायणी यस्य" "Whose mother is Nārāyaṇī." — verse 12
⁷ original: "पिता लक्ष्मीधर स्वयम्" "His father is Laksmīdhara himself." — Ibid
⁸ original: "शाण्डिल्यगोत्रजः सोऽयम्" "He is born of the Śāṇḍilya lineage." — Ibid
⁹ original: "तमाह कल्लिनाथार्य स राजा बहुमानत । रत्नाकर व्याकुरुष्व लक्ष्यलक्षणकोविद ॥" "The King said to that noble Kallinātha with great respect: 'O expert in theory and practice, explain the Ratnākara [Ocean of Music].'" — verse 13
original: "अतः स कल्लिनाथार्यो रत्नाकरनिबन्धनम् । कलानिधि निबध्नाति ।" "Therefore, that noble Kallinātha composes the Kalanidhi [The Treasure-house of Art], a commentary on the Ratnākara." — verses 14
¹⁰ Inscriptions about Vijaya are available from 1418 to 1426, but Devarāya began to reign from 1423. So there must have been a joint rule by father and son for three years.